If you build it, they will come - so goes the saying and we strongly suspect it will be true for Kansas City, which is now home to the <a href="http://www.kauffmancenter.org/" target="_blank">Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts</a>. With one side composed of a series of concentric rings and the other a glass wall to pull in daylight and collect views of the city and prairie in the distance, the new performance center is a dramatic addition to the city. The Kauffman Center was designed by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/golden-dream-bay-moshe-safdies-pixelated-sky-garden-apartments-for-the-coast-of-china/">Moshe Safdie</a> Architects with the help of <a href="http://www.nagata.co.jp/e_index.html" target="_blank">Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics</a> for hall design and <a href="http://www.bnim.com/work/kauffman-center-performing-arts" target="_blank">BNIM</a> with sustainable design and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/building-information-modeling/">Building Information Modeling (BIM)</a>. Work completed on the center early this summer and it will officially open in September.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

The arts center includes three different - a proscenium theater, a concert hall and a banquet hall, all lined up to face the south.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

A large glazed foyer serves the two large halls, providing a naturally daylit space for patrons with views to the south and out over the terraced gardens.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

The north side of the building is enveloped in a series of vertical circular segments that curve around the theaters and stages.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Stainless steel wraps the circular segments and is covered on the sides with acid-etched, limestone colored, precast concrete walls.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Tensile forces of the suspended glass foyer roof are counteracted by a series of cables that tie down the structure on the south side near the entrance.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Inside the large atrium/foyer the space is completely naturally daylit.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Both the Muriel Kauffman Theatre and the Helzberg Hall make use of advanced and high performance techniques to ensure top-notch acoustic quality.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

The new venue is located near downtown overlooking the historic warehouse district and the new entertainment district is expected to make a significant contribution to the redevelopment of the urban core.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Hellzberg Hall.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

The Muriel Kauffman theater.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Cross section of Muriel Kauffman Theater.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Cross section of Hellzberg Hall.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

Master plan for the Kauffman Center.

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Kauffman Center-Moshe Safdie

If you build it, they will come - so goes the saying and we strongly suspect it will be true for Kansas City, which is now home to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. With one side composed of a series of concentric rings and the other a glass wall to pull in daylight and collect views of the city and prairie in the distance, the new performance center is a dramatic addition to the city. The Kauffman Center was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects with the help of Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics for hall design and BNIM with sustainable design and Building Information Modeling (BIM). Work completed on the center early this summer and it will officially open in September.